Rocky Run Stream Valley Trail

Rocky Run Stream Valley Trail entrance from Ellanor C. Lawrence Park Fairfax County's Rocky Run Stream Valley Trail meanders along its namesake stream for 3.4 miles. Sandwiched in the middle of the bustling "Chantilly triangle" (Route 50 and I-66 as the north/south borders, respectively), this multi-use double-track trail offers a welcoming wooded respite from suburbia. Trail users enjoy a generous oak canopy, but that canopy is at-risk from a sunlight-hoarding, water-hogging, invasive plant species known as garlic mustard. Luckily, the Fairfax County Park Authority Invasive Management Area (IMA) Volunteer Program is on the scene. With consistent volunteer help and special events like Invasive Plant Removal Day, garlic mustard is trembling in its roots. From the western edge of the trail in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park on Walney Rd., the trail enters the woods and never looks back (except to cross a few streets). For the two miles, from Walney Rd. to Stringfellow Rd., rocks, boulders, and fallen trees line the stream bank. East of Stringfellow, backyards converge to narrow the greenway, but Rocky Run manages to keep its wooded groove. As the rough gravel trail climbs the slope back to reality (i.e. Fairfax County Parkway - its eastern terminus), you'll be sad to see it go. Trail Stats: 3.4 miles from Ellanor C. Lawrence Park (map) to Fairfax County Parkway (west to east) Trail Type: Mostly coarse gravel and paved in parts Administration: Fairfax County Park Authority Share/Save/Bookmark Tags: Northern Virginia Hike Bike